Why are children adopting ungodly ways and who is responsible for this? This is a serious question that we all should ponder on very seriously. When we ask parents, they hold schools and teachers responsible, when we ask schools and teachers, they hold parents responsible. Church put blame on the society and satan. So we are basically in the "Blame Game" thing. No one wants to atke responibilty.

As a High School teacher for 7 years, I came across thousands of parents, thousands of students, and hundreds of colleagues. Although I never taught any Christian student but I can use my experience to point out, who is responsible for children adopting ungodly ways.

Problem # 1Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put into practice. (Philipipians 4:9)

This verse holds a very important key heard and seen. Paul talks of his life as a role model.

Many Christians are very devout in taking their families to Church on Sundays, they make sure that their children enroll in youth programs and they may attend prayer meetings. Now the story ends here. Now let us go to their houses. Do they have family prayers - NO, do they read Bible together - NO, do they live Christian lives - NO.

The question here is, what are children picking up from our lives? They are picking up deception. They learn from us that it is ok to be yourself at home and to be religious at the Church and prayers meetings. We make them hypocrites.

On Freeway and Highways, I have seen people, doing more than speed limit with their childrem. This gives a negative impression to children that it is ok to break rules and laws. They would normally say, we will slow down when we will see "Speed Cameras". Mostly they are successful in avoiding the speed camera but if they are caught, they make excuses.

On the contrary, they should tell their kids, that although there is no one watching, they should never break the rules because God is watching and He will not bless us.

Problem # 2

When our children go wrong, we are too lenient and we think that it good parenting not to say anything to our children, when they go wrong. I have seen parents, who thought that it is learning process and when children grow up they learn manners themselves. As Christians, we should tell our children that every sin or wrong doing has a consequence. How would they know what is good or bad, if they are dealt with tenderness.

God loved Adam and Eve, when they sinned against God, He did not say, "Adam and Eve, it is ok, don't do it again." or He did not say, that it was a learning process. But God took charge and punished both Adam and Eve. Through their story, we now understand that if we transgress God's commands, there will be serious consequences.

Problem # 3

We as parents never build the habit of making our children understand the fact that we are dependent on God. We would watch movies with them, play with them, but we would never PRAY with them, or discuss Bible with them.

When I was teaching, one of my colleagues, who was co-teaching with me in the same class, was an atheist and a Rock singer. Teenagers, used to get attracted to him as he had a goatie, crazy hairstyle. He wore torn jeans, and to them he looked "cool". On the other hand I was very particular about dressing up for I wore a suit and acted like a normal person.

He used to poison their brains about God, and when I used to take my class they used to come up with questions. I never answered them but I reasoned with them. And then one day, all those 32 students, started to like, dressed up like me and listened to me. When we used to go on trips to mountains, they followed all the rules because I was following them. I never encouraged our bus driver to over speed and made it very sure that my students would understand that if no one is watching, God is watching us. REMEMBER, I never had Christian students but I had muslim students and I never forsook my faith.

Problem # 4When we turn religious, we become more religious than we are asked to become. We take our children back into stone age and expect them to follow what we follow. No TV, no movies, no songs, no internet, because these are tools of satan. And I am sure satan would also be wondering, "I never thought of that".

Children rebel against God and then we start blaming satan and people. But actually, ground reality is that , we made them rebelled against God. Nothing belongs to satan, unless and until, we do not invite satan. Movies are not satanic, they become when we watch foolish movies, song are not satanic, they become when we listen to foolish songs.

In doing so, we take away confidence from the children to give a reason for what they believe in. When they go to school and see children living a happy life, they rebel against God. My parents gave us lot of freedom, they watched movies with us but we were not allowed to have a TV in our bedrooms. If we had to watch a movie, we had to watch in the TV Lounge. My parents always took us out for drives and dinners, so we never had the desire to roam here and there with friends. We had computer in the TV Lounge and it was the rule. Still now, my parents have died in Jesus, but still my computer is in TV Lounge. I can still remember the Biblical stories my mother used to tell us, the Christian songs she used to sing with us. I can still remember their instructions and I still follow them, yet they are not alive but they did tell us that God is watching. My parents saving account was not full of wrong things and they told us to focus on yearning and not on earning.

Always remember

And when your children ask you, what does the ceremony mean to you? then tell them... (Exodus 12:26-28)On that day tell your son, 'I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Eygprt' (Exodus 13:8)

In days to come, when your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' say to him...(Exodus 13:14)

God bless you all

_________________

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the LORD Jesus Christ. (Philemon 1:3)

I didn't know that you were a teacher once. Nice article but don't you think, that you are putting all the blame on parents. I would put it on the society and schools besides parents. There is lot going on in schools and look at our society, everything is so evil. Evil people are snatching our kids and loved ones. I am so afraid for my young sister as she will be joining university in spring semester and I fear she may not pick up evil things from the campus. I fear for all the kids who go out to school to pick up bad habits. Teachers do not do anything, they just teach and walk away, in some public schools teachers are afraid of students and I feel sorry for them and for the innocent kids in their hands.

Daniel, I have learnt one thing, when we have to preach, we preach to others but when we have to use it in our lives, we ask others to use it. We have two faces, one face with which we meet people and the other one is at the back of their heads, that plans all evils and look at the opposite direction. You made it interesting by using your professional experience in it.

Jeanne Guyon (1648-1717) wrote powerfully about the need for an intimate relationship with Almighty God, including this: “He who has a pure heart will never cease to pray; and he who will be constant in prayer, shall know what it is to have a pure heart.”

PRAISE

Social bookmarking

Bookmark and share the address of Christian Talk on your social bookmarking website